Good news for those who applied for the R350 grant! The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) has made the first payments of the government’s social relief of distress (SRD) R350 grant.
The first payments were made on Wednesday 25 August 2021 and further disbursements to applicants will continue over the next few days.
Applications for this SRD grant opened on August 6 after the previous SRD grant ended in May. SASSA says it received 8 931 375 applications from all nine provinces, 41% of whom were men and 59% women.
The purpose of the R350 grant was highlighted by SASSA in a statement released by them. “The grant is set to benefit unemployed citizens, most of whom lost their jobs when Covid-19 struck in 2020” read the statement.
Qualifying applicants will receive their payments through direct deposits into their bank accounts, mobile money transfers through cell phones and through the South African Post Office (SAPO).
Out of the payment options available, the one used by SASSA will be the ones applicants chose during the application.
Earlier this month, SASSA spokesperson Paseka Letsatsi urged applicants to provide their banking details to avoid going to SA Post Office outlets.
“We appeal to people who are going to make applications for the R350 grant to please give us their banking details because they do not necessarily have to flock to post offices,” he said on 702.
Collecting the R350 grant from a post office
SASSA said to avoid over-crowding at post offices during payment of approved recipients, a joint strategy was put in place by SASSA and SAPO.
They said the last three digits of approved beneficiaries’ identity numbers will be used for payment collection on a specific day of the week.
“This will help minimize the spread of the Covid-19 infections and allowing for social distancing on paydays.
“Most importantly, if a person has not received an SMS from SASSA notifying them that the grant is available for collection, it means the grant is not available yet.
“In other words, every approved applicant must first wait for an SMS confirming that the grant is available before approaching the post office.”
SASSA urged applicants not to go to the post office to just check whether the grant is available.
How to check SASSA status
The function for all applicants to start checking their status on the system will be available later this week.
In a statement released, SASSA acknowledged that this function has not been available, because SASSA has kept the channels open to cope with the high number of applications being received.
How to apply for R350 grant
To apply for the R350 grant follow the following steps:
- Choose application channel – you can apply via
– WhatsApp (send a message to 082 046 8553)
– SRD website: https://srd.sassa.gov.za
– SASSA Chatbot: www.sassa.gov.za - Agree to terms and conditions
- Provide personal details – you’ll be required to provide details such as ID number, name, surname, address, gender etc
- Submit banking details / choose payment option – you’ll submit details such as you bank name, account number, branch name etc
- Receive a SMS on your mobile number – if your application was successful, you’ll receive a SMS telling you that your R350 grant is now active.
Application process for the special Covid-19 SRD grant @The_DSD @nda_rsa @PostofficeSa @GovernmentZA @GCISMedia #SASSACARES pic.twitter.com/XjsSOAzlK7
— SASSA (@OfficialSASSA) August 25, 2021
The R350 grant will not be paid on Public Holidays, weekends and when normal monthly social grants payments take place.
The SRD grant will be paid until March 2022.